One of the unique things about being a middle school ELA and reading teacher is that very few of the concepts that we introduce to our students are new. They’ve used context clues before. They’ve identified the author’s purpose in a text before. They’ve made inferences before. It might seem like their previous experience with these skills will make everything easier, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The texts that middle school students are expected to read and comprehend become increasingly complex with every grade, so it is vitally important that we provide them with lessons and work that reflect that complexity. Teaching inferences in middle school may seem easy, but I encourage you to look at the questions that focus on making inferences on released state tests to evaluate whether the inferences you ask your students to make are similarly difficult. These inference worksheets & activities for middle school may be exactly what you need!
Don’t spend too long on an introduction to making inferences
I’m in North Carolina, and making inferences is included in the standards starting in elementary school. I know that having your students look at pictures to make inferences is fun, but that skill doesn’t really translate to making inferences in complex texts. If you feel the need to review inferences this thoroughly, I’d recommend my Text Message Analysis resources. These engaging resources feature short conversations that require students to make inferences and cite evidence to support their answers. I love this resource, and I have thousands of reviews discussing how helpful it is for middle school students, but this shouldn’t be the bulk of your focus on making inferences. This resource is a great review (I’m intentionally not saying introduction because most students have been introduced to making inferences by middle school,) but you should quickly move on to more challenging work.
Select appropriately challenging texts
I started teaching before Teachers Pay Teachers existed (no, really), so reading passage options were quite limited. On more than one occasion, I bought workbooks labeled for a wide range of grade levels. I was always disappointed in the lack of rigor those passages and the accompanying questions had. I decided to create my own passages with multiple-choice questions that would be appropriately challenging and similar to what students would encounter on state testing. These passages were specifically written and designed to be challenging enough for middle school students. There is a version that focuses on literary text using original fiction, as well as a version that focuses on informational text.
Model making inferences as you read novels
Modeling what good readers do is a powerful instructional strategy. I encourage you to take the time when you’re reading out loud, either from a novel or even an unrelated passage, to stop and think out loud about any inferences you can make. You should also point out all the evidence supporting the inference in the passage.
Include bite-sized practice if your students still struggle with the skill
Regular practice with making inferences will make your students more comfortable with the increased rigor in no time! I created daily reading passages that are quick and interesting. These bell ringers are a great way to start class and review this important skill while still being able to stick to any pacing guides or calendars! The passages are short, but the inference questions are designed to make your students think critically and really examine the text. These are available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and are also included in my Daily Reading Mega Bundle!
If the inference activities and worksheets you provide for your middle school students are not tricky, then there is a good chance that they aren’t rigorous enough! My inference worksheets and activities are designed to be appropriately challenging for your students!
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